Opinion category, Page 762
Letter to the editor: Commending Toomey
It is only appropriate that citizens give Sen. Pat Toomey credit for his vote to void the president’s “state of emergency” declaration. Whether one approves of Donald Trump or not, that declaration gives him the ability to override the constitutional power of Congress to set spending. This erodes the basis...
Lenny McAllister: Fight for education equality marches on
Equality in Pennsylvania can never be obtained as long as education is not an even playing field. In pursuing the dream of equality in this country, let’s keep in mind: “Education equality is the civil rights issues of our time.” Unequal education can thwart the most important aspects of civil...
Aaron Blake: How the White House is casting Puerto Rico
It’s tempting to view President Trump’s many grievance-filled tweets as angry, indiscriminate lashing out against political opponents. It’s unhinged! It’s unpresidential! They’re “rage tweets!” Etc. Often, though, if you look closely, you’ll see some design. Behind the invective and often-incorrect claims will be a controversial suggestion with some built-in plausible...
Pat Buchanan: Must West beg world for forgiveness?
As the Democratic Party quarrels over reparations for slavery, a new and related issue has arisen, raised by the president of Mexico. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has written Pope Francis and King Felipe VI to demand their apologies for the Spanish conquest of Mexico that began 500 years ago with...
Editorial: Pittsburgh gun ban is politics’ fault
On Tuesday, Pittsburgh’s council passed a package of laws that would ban some weapons within the city limits and regulate access for people deemed an “extreme risk.” There are people who see this as a step forward in a nation where gun violence has become heartbreakingly commonplace while action to...
Letter to the editor: Rose verdict unbelievable
I can’t believe a jury found a man not guilty of homicide for shooting a boy in the back. To me that says it’s OK for police officers to shoot people in the back and kill them if they think they might have done something wrong or might do something...
Letter to the editor: Health care nightmares
I recently awoke from a nightmare in which I had come home late on a cold winter’s night to find my grandmother sitting on my front porch with a blanket wrapped around her and a note from the hospital which she had been admitted to only hours before. The note...
Letter to the editor: Be a responsible pedestrian
Distracted driving (texting, cellphone calls, drinking, etc.) is certainly a problem for pedestrians, as the latest death toll statistics indicate. However, pedestrians are a significant part of the problem. When you walk or run along the road, you are required to face oncoming traffic as far to the left as...
Nicholas Theis: UPMC workers & the need for a union
Ensuring everyone has access to UPMC’s nonprofit hospitals should be a no-brainer, yet both Pittsburgh City Council and the mayor have failed in recent years to hear their constituents out, or use their powers to protect them. Now, tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians face the prospect of being shut out...
Jennifer Rubin: A little oversight uncovers a lot of lawlessness
With a Democratic House majority in place, we see more clearly than ever how Republican docility enabled President Trump’s lawlessness for the first two years of his presidency. When “normal” congressional behavior appears to check the executive branch — e.g. oversight hearings, subpoenas, use of the bully pulpit — we...
Tom Purcell: At tax time, better to laugh than cry
Tax season is upon us, which gives us a choice: Laugh or cry. I choose to laugh. Dave Barry offers useful advice for getting through this trying time: “It’s income tax time again, Americans: time to gather up those receipts, get out those tax forms, sharpen up that pencil, and...
Editorial: The empty threat of Pennsylvania’s death penalty
An empty threat might seem like a good middle ground. It could give all the weight of a hefty penalty without any of the responsibility for the follow-through. It could seem strong while not actually being prepared to show strength. The reality is that it is a frustrated mother telling...
Letter to the editor: Trump & McCain
President Trump continuously bashes John McCain about various McCain positions that Trump disagrees with, which is somewhat amazing since McCain has been dead for seven months. I believe Trump wants to be in the spotlight all the time and doesn’t care if he receives negative criticism about his comments. As...
Letter to the editor: If you choose debt, it’s your burden
Sen. Lindsey Williams chose to go to law school on borrowed money. Due to her choice she has debt and thinks the state taxpayers should help her and others in her situation (“In Pennsylvania, young lawmakers drive conversation on reducing student debt,” March 24, TribLIVE). She is what is wrong...
Letter to the editor: Congress & war
On March 13, the Senate passed a resolution to end any U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen that has not been authorized by Congress. The bilateral support for this resolution demonstrates the recognition that Congress must reassert its authority over decisions regarding the use of the U.S. military in...
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 1
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 1....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 1
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 1....
James Downie: Republicans missing health care plan
The Justice Department’s decision Monday that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional has sparked many questions, such as, “Didn’t Republicans get killed in the midterms on health care?” and “Really? This again?” Combined with a federal judge’s ruling Thursday blocking the Trump administration’s “association health plans,” which the judge...
Colin McNickle: No subsidies for replacement Hill grocery store
There are troubling hints that a replacement grocery store for the heavily subsidized and now-closed Shop ’n Save in Pittsburgh’s Hill District might be in line for more public subsidies. But a new analysis by a scholar at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy reiterates that subsidies for that store...
Editorial: Political rules are sign of election times
No shirt, no shoes, no service. No dogs allowed. No smoking. All simple signs. Easy to understand. Easy to obey. Now Westmoreland County needs another sign for its hallways. No politics on the premises. Workers, this means you. It’s the kind of thing that probably shouldn’t need a sign. When...
Letter to the editor: Do your research & think critically
There’s a clear problem with discourse in America. It’s caused by politicians, news anchors, late-night talk show hosts, trolls and anyone trying to push an agenda. It comes from a person’s want or need to always be right, and some people will go pretty far to prove their point regardless...
Letter to the editor: Gov. Wolf should think about spending less
Gov. Tom Wolf continues his attack on the gas industry with his never-ending effort to institute a tax on the producers. This, like any other tax, is not a tax on the producers, but we the taxpayers. We will be the ones who ultimately pay the bill, not the producers....
Letter to the editor: Toxins in mac & cheese
A 2017 study by the Coalition for Safer Food Processing and Packaging found phthalates in the cheese powder in boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese. Phthalates are found in hairsprays, raincoats, detergents and flooring. Studies have shown that phthalates can increase the risk of miscarriage and risk factors for gestational diabetes,...
S.E. Cupp: All presidents (and candidates) deserve Trump-level press scrutiny
In the days since the Mueller report was concluded and found no collusion between President Trump and Russia, the attention has turned to the press and its perceived hyperfocus on the two-year-long investigation. Questions about whether outlets like The New York Times, MSNBC or CNN, where I work, spent too...
George Will: Step up for some baseball trivia
WASHINGTON — When umpire Dutch Rennert blew a call at first base, then-St. Louis Cardinals manager Joe Torre trotted out and asked, “How come you’re such a good ball-strike umpire and such (expletive) on the bases?” Rennert, equally puzzled, amiably replied, “Isn’t that something?” Try to be as serene as...
